


Once Upon A Story Book

by weapon13WhiteFang



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Books, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-30
Updated: 2018-11-30
Packaged: 2019-09-02 15:28:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16789675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/weapon13WhiteFang/pseuds/weapon13WhiteFang
Summary: “We are fictional characters that know we are fictional characters and so we decided to have a little fun while they waited for the reader to reach a certain page” AUOR"...The story always likes to change on me,” Sophia insisted firmly, as she always did.





	Once Upon A Story Book

**“We are fictional characters that know we are fictional characters and so we decided to have a little fun while they waited for the reader to reach a certain page” AU**

**…**

_“Once upon a time, the sun came up-“_

“As it does every damn day-“

“Daryl!”

Princess Beth bit her lip to keep from smiling, staring up at the sky. It wasn’t a sky like what would probably be considered normal, but instead was a sky with letters forming sentences with lines of quotations and actions.

This was the sky of _The Bluebird Hunter_ by E. N. Lincoln. A story of 363 pages and 37 chapters. The first few pages being an explanation of the world of The Bluebird Hunter – The Land of Alexandria – and it’s kingdom, Aurora Castle.

For Princess Beth – preferring to be called just Beth honestly – the castle was home. From the moment she was printed into existence, the castle was home along with her siblings – Prince Shawn and Princess Margaret – and her parents – King Hershel and Queen Annette. It was the home she was given all her memories of, sketched in her along with the stroke of the keyboard that had created them all from the author’s imagination.

Currently she sat in the Evergreen Forest, dress slightly ripped and flats of her shoes missing, sitting curled on a stump as the written wind caressed her hair and she listened to the songbirds chirp. She absently rubbed her feet – it was never fun after her run through the forest from her attackers, The Red Army – and hummed softly as she waited for the reader to reach page 60, Chapter 3 – the page she had currently decided to leave her consciousness with, able to drift through the pages that held her name and story.

Near her, leaning against a tree – an impressive crossbow at his feet and a sling of squirrels over his shoulder on a string - was Daryl, or Sir Hunter as she would call him until he would rudely snap his name at her. Really he was so surely and bear like in the beginning of their journey, it’s no wonder it takes a whole book for them to fall for one another before she’s stolen away by The Dark Lord and his son until the second book of their journey. Though Beth and Daryl only have a few fractions of what that will be about, their author working on the next book still from what they can tell.

“Who the Hell writes that for the first sentence. Damn sun should rise and fall every day,” the surely Hunter grunted as he chewed on the skin around his thumb.

“Well the sun is blackened in chapter 28 so it’s supposed to play on that I believe,” Beth pointed out with a smile, standing to walk to the creek and have a seat. It would be a bit before they reader reached this part. Their owner – at least for this copy – was little Sophia Dixon. She would read a chapter every night. Beth felt blessed to be the girls favorite book, their story having been read so much that everyone could feel how easily the paper spine would bend and how the corners of a few pages were bent or frayed.

“Still stupid,” Daryl grumbled, watching her come sit by creek and stick her feet in the water to soothe them. He waited a few ticks before coming to sit by her, bringing his crossbow and putting it aside with his squirrels before he’s carefully sitting by her.

His close proximity never fails to stop her fictional heart from beating wildly in her chest. He’s a very handsome man. He was scruffy and wild… But was also really gentle and kind. Even when they first meet and he’s being rough and growling and all wild forest man, he’s never physically rough with her and touches her like she’s made of glass. When they kiss in chapter 27, it’s desperate and hard, but he’s still so gentle with her that she’s the one that ends up having to deepen it and show she’s not going to just break from a kiss.

Thinking about it almost always brings a blush to her face and she has to look down so her hair can cover her and hide any possible pinkness that might occur.

The two sit in silence, Beth letting the water lap at her feet while Daryl picks at the grass nervous like, head down and brow furrowed in some thought. As if he’s miles away in another chapter. But Beth knows he’s here with her. Can just feel it like a second nature, knowing when she’s actually with the person she’s sharing a chapter and page with and not just speaking to the story laid character.

Her father would often tell her to be careful when deciding when to step outside of her written role. “The story must be told, Bethy,” he would say gently and her mother would hum in agreement. Margaret – Maggie as she preferred – would constantly step out of roll at certain parts. Especially during the introduction of her suitor – Lord Aiden – and would often let a snark loose before having to catch herself when Sophia would hum or gasp in surprise. Their reader was a bright little girl and would often tell her mother that she thinks the story changes all the time.

Of course she was right, but her mother and her father would chortle and tell her it’s just that she had a wild imagination.

Sometimes Beth was truly jealous of the readers. They could be whoever they wanted. Didn’t have to follow words written above them. Didn’t have their futures handled by some faceless author that Beth only had a few memories of hearing the voice of… Sometimes she wished she could be in the world of the reader.

But then she’d find herself with Daryl or singing with Margaret or dancing at the ball with Shawn before the Dark One’s attacked and she’d feel bad about it. Because even if she was being written by someone else, that didn’t mean her feelings or her story – planned or not – was any less important. Plus.. She had great characters to call her family and loved one. She could be far worse and be one of the many faceless outlined characters with no true purpose but to be a voice that spoke up or a scraggly minion with no real lines and no character development…

_“Ya reading that book again?”_

Beth was pulled from her thoughts and looked up to the sky, hearing the familiar deep drawl of Sophia’s father – only known as “Dad” or “Daddy” to the rest of them. He had a deep southern growl of a drawl that funny enough reminded Beth of Daryl’s real voice (not the voice the reader would sometimes give him, though she was getting good at getting close).

_“Mmhmm. It’s my favorite one,”_ Sophia replied, pausing in her reading as Beth felt her play with the pages.

_“Ya got that damn thing memorized by now don’t ya?”_ the father teased and Beth smiled s Sophia laughed.

_“Almost… But I keep telling you and mom… The story always likes to change on me,_ ” Sophia insisted firmly, as she always did.

Daryl grunted beside her and Beth looked to see him smirking, glancing up at the sky before looking back at the water to watch a fish swim by with his sharp blue eyes. Beth knew Daryl enjoyed their reader as much as Beth did. He may grumble about the story but he seemed pleased that Sophia would always proclaim Daryl as one of her favorite characters because “He kind of reminds me of dad” (as he would tell her mother).

Beth felt the book close and could no longer hear the two talking. She relaxed a little and let her head fall to the side, lying on Daryl’s shoulder. He tensed a second before slowly relaxing. Beth began to hum a nameless tune – she never knew what song she was singing, just that the author said she could sing – but it never stopped her from doing so.

Slowly, Beth reached out and clasped her hand with Daryl’s, closing her eyes and listening to him puff out breath before he was gently squeezing her hand and drawing it closer to run his thumb along her currently scuffed knuckles – she always banged herself up pretty well when she was running through the forest.

They waited awhile, sitting like that in silence save for Beth’s gentle humming and the whistle of the wind and bubble of the creek. This was one of her favorite places to be in the story. Because it was where she and Daryl would first meet and where she would change forever, becoming more than just Princess Beth.

“Think we’ll ever get times like this again in the next book?” Beth asked after a beat, opening her eyes to stare down at her and Daryl’s entwined fingers – tanned skin against her fairer skin.

He shrugged lightly and Beth nodded. She knew he could only see so far into the next book as she or any other character that would be present could feel. Stillm, it didn’t stop them from wondering.

“Can always come back here if there ain’t,” Daryl murmurs and Beth smiles, drawing back to tilt her head and look into his deep blue eyes.

“I’d like that,” she whispered softly, earning a half-lipped smile and nod from her surely hunter.

“Me too.”

**…**

**Okay but this was so freaking fun and different and while this isn’t what the original prompt was – I changed a few things – it was still so freaking fun to write and I hope y’all like it cause it’s been a hot minute since I wrote these two lol.**


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